Blues CEO Jones charged with code of conduct breach

Cricket NSW chief executive Andrew Jones has been reprimanded and received a suspended fine for social media comments made following the contentious finish to the Blues' abandoned JLT Cup match against Victoria on Sunday.

Jones was reported for breaching CA's Code of Conduct, which applies to all support personnel including any person employed or affiliated with a state or Big Bash side, in regards to making "comment that is detrimental to the interests of cricket".

His fine of $3,000 is fully suspended, subject to Jones not being found guilty of any further Code of Conduct breach for a two-year period. Jones admitted the offence, accepted the proposed sanction and no hearing was required.

The Blues had lost in controversial circumstances to Victoria and conceded a vital bonus point after umpires deemed the North Sydney Oval pitch “dangerous” 26 overs into the Bushrangers’ innings. NSW had earlier been dismissed for 144.

The decision prompted Jones to vent his frustration on Twitter at the way the match ended.

"(Bushrangers) well ahead in the game but it should have been played to a conclusion," he wrote. "The drop in wicket was up and down all day.

"It should be a No Result. Conditions didn't change all game so if it was dangerous for one side it was dangerous for the other."

Jones also called for all officials involved to "be fired immediately".

Cricket Australia are conducting what they've termed a "thorough investigation" into the circumstances surrounding the JLT Cup match.

"The umpires decided, as in JLT Rule 2.7.2, that conditions were dangerous and there was an actual and foreseeable risk to the safety of any player participating in the match," said a Cricket Australia spokesperson.

"As play was abandoned and the match had passed the minimum overs requirement for a match, Duckworth Lewis Stern was used to determine the result, including any bonus points. Victoria were 1.25 times ahead of the Net Run Rate and as such Victoria secured the bonus point.

"Cricket Australia will conduct a thorough investigation of the circumstances around this abandonment, as is stated in the JLT Rules (6.4.6), and will revert to the teams with those findings."

While the decision has generated plenty of debate, Victoria captain Peter Handscomb insisted the pitch had deteriorated more than onlookers may have realised.

"It was inconsistent bounce," Handscomb told AAP this week. "Once it starts rearing off a length, it actually becomes quite dangerous.

"Both of our batters (unbeaten pair Seb Gotch and Blake Thomson) came off and were icing their thumbs; one was icing his ribs.

"Obviously, they've got a faster attack but also, once the dew came in, the wicket got faster ... it was playing tricks."

Gotch, not out on 25, and Thomson, 17 not out, had both been hit on the gloves several times by short-pitched deliveries that may have contributed to the decision to abandon the match.

NSW admittedly had an international calibre bowling attack, with Test spearheads Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins, along with Australia representatives Doug Bollinger and Sean Abbott, causing issues for Victoria's inexperienced top- and middle-order.

The Bushrangers, boasting the likes of Test quick Peter Siddle and one-day bowlers Chris Tremain and Scott Boland, had also profited from the up-and-down track. Tremain dismissed Nic Maddinson and Kurtis Patterson with balls that appeared to jump off a length.

The bonus point win helped Victoria progress to the elimination final and they will face off against second-placed South Australia in Hobart on Thursday for the right to play in the final against Western Australia on Saturday.